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The 175th Anniversary 

^tinitg Ctttl)eton Ci)tircl) 

Lancoster^ Pennsylvania 




1 T30-1 90S 



h: 






AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF A CHURCH 



A Memorial of the 

One Hundred and Seventy- Fifth 

Anniversary of 



Trinity Lutheran Church 



Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 



BY 

J. E. WHITTEKER, D. D., Pastor. 



LANCASTER, PA. 

WICKERSHAM PRINTING CO. 

1905. 



FOREWORD. 



This sketch of " Old Trinity " has been hurriedly gathered, 
yet with scrupulous care, from every possible source — pam- 
phlet, book and protocol. It is but a running chronicle; 
deals not with the flowers of the art, but with plain facts. 
Its preparation has been crowded with increasing interest; and 
if the reader gets half the enjoyment in scanning its pages as 
the author did in compihng them, the wage of the work has 
been met to the uttermost farthing. 

J. E. Whitteker. 

Pentecost, 1905. 



REMINISCENCES 



1730-1905 

jj^j^P" CLUSTER of wigwams, a hickory-tree amid, a near-by 
wc^ spring — such was Hickorytown in 1683. But the 
/■'^fe-2^ Httle hamlet of the Hickory Indians soon passed 
from sight, and in 1722 the only mark of its Indian origin was 
the tavern sign of a hickory-tree. In 1730 the scene changed, 
and Lancaster town, its folk ten-score, sprang into view : and 
Lancaster came to stay. 

Among the settlers in and about Hickorytown, prior to 1730, 
were many German Lutherans — men of sturdy stuff. These 
came under the pastoral care of John Casper Stoever, a travel- 
ing missionary, whose ministerial acts among them date back 
to 1729. In 1730, the year of Lancaster's incorporation as a 
town, was the founding of Trinity Lutheran Church. Mission- 
ary Stoever, with others, supplied the congregation at intervals 
till 1736, when he became its first regular pastor. His pas- 
torate continued till 1742. 

In 1734, the congregation commenced to build its first church 
and school-house — the church, some writers tell us, being com- 
pleted the same year. It was not dedicated, however, till 
October 28, 1738. It was a stone structure, with steeple and 
bells ; a walnut railing enclosed its altar of stone, while on the 
pulpit stood the sand clock, which measured an hour and a 
half, the supposed limit of the sermon. It was also furnished 

5 



IReminleccnces 



with a pipe organ — one built in 1744, a rare instrument in 
those days. 

This first church (or was there a log one before it ?) stood on 
the site now occupied by Trinity Chapel. On different occa- 
sions, as early as 1743, the Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, 
the great Lutheran patriarch, preached in it. It was the center 
of those disturbing scenes when men like Kraft and Nyberg 
troubled the Church, and Muhlenberg and Brunholtz came to 
the rescue. Notably in 1746 Muhlenberg visited the congrega- 
tion, preached on the parable of the barren fig-tree, confirmed 
the faith of the people, and exhorted them to maintain a spirit 
of Christian peace. In 1747, Mr. Kurtz, a catechist, acted as 
provisional pastor, the pastors of Philadelphia visiting the con- 
gregation from time to time and administering the sacraments. 
In April, 1748, Muhlenberg and his colleague visited Lan- 
caster, reorganized the congregation, and installed a new 
Church Council. On the 3d day of the following month, the 
Rev. John Frederick Handschuh supplied the pulpit, and be- 
ing called as provisional pastor, he preached his introductoiy 
sermon May the 26th. Although church and school stood side 
by side, yet with the advent of Handschuh the school took a 
broader outlook. It was not confined to Lutheran limits, but 
was crowded, \\ e are told, with English and Irish as well as 
German pupils. The teacher, Jacob Loeser, was organist and 
sexton as well, in which triple capacity he served many years. 
He led the singing during the regular services and at funerals,- 
opened and closed the church, and had charge of the grave- 
yard, for all which he received a free dwelling in part of the 
school-house, the free use of part of the school lot, ten cords of 
wood, half being hickory, and the sum of ten pounds of silver. 

6 



©ID ITrinitis 



This school, hke those of the other churches in Lancaster, was 
the forerunner of the pubhc school, with whose opening the 
parochial schools ceased, and the buildings were rented to the 
town for common school purposes. 

In June, 1749, the second convention of the Ministerium of 
Pennsyhania was held in Trinity Church. At Easter, 1750, 
the communicant membership of the congregation had reached 
243. In the spring of 1751, a call came from Germantown, 




Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, D. D. 



to which Pastor Handschuh responded, and on [May 5th he 
preached his farewell sermon, having served the congregation 
as provisional pastor for three years. 

During 175 1 and 1752, Trinity had no permanent pastor; 
the Rev. Tobias Wagner remaining scarcely a year, a student 
by the name of Engeland filhng a brief interim, and the Rev. 
Mr. Wortmann giving but a few months of service, when he 
accepted a call from the congregation at Reading. 



TReminleccnces 



The next regular pastor was the Rev. John Siegfried Gerock, 
who came to Lancaster in March, 1753. The church, at an 
early date, had been enlarged; later, it had been repaired; 
and now, the foundation being unsafe, it was necessary either 
to make extensive improvements or to build a new church. 
In vi«w of the rapid increase in membership, the duty of pro- 
viding a larger house of worship seemed imperative; so a lot 
was bought, plans were made, the work begun; the Minister- 
ium being invited to hold its annual convention in Lancaster, 
on the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone. 

And so, on Monday, May 18, 1 761, in the presence of that 
august body of fewer than a dozen men, the corner-stone of 
"The Church of the Holy Trinity" was laid! The prehm- 
inar}^ service was held in the old church, Muhlenberg preach- 
ing the sermon: at its close, all marched in order to the rising 
walls of the new structure and ranged themselves about the 
corner-ston^. There, after the singing of a hymn, Pastor 
Gerock read the history of the congregation, placed the docu- 
ment in a small box, and deposited the same in the corner- 
stone. The stone was then set in its place and Dr. Wrangle, 
the Swedish Provost, came forward and, according to usage, 
struck the stone three times, ' ' in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" after which he offered a 
short prayer. The solemn ceremony closed by every clerical 
and lay member of the Ministerium, and e\'ery officer of the 
Church, coming forward, lifting the mallet, and striking the 
stone three times — not with words upon their lips; but, we may 
well suppose, with the prayer in their hearts, that from this 
foundation there might rise up and remain, from age to age, a 
temple sacred to the worship of the Triune God! 



©ID Zxinit^ 



As the walls arose, the congregation grew; and when the time 
for the consecration arrived, May 4, 1 766, a conservative esti- 
mate places the communicant membership at from 700 to 1000. 




That was, indeed, a memorable day ! At 10 o'clock the pro- 
cession formed, and all, in well-arranged order, marched to 



IReminiscences 

the church : first the schoohiiaster with the children; then the 
deacons solemnly bearing the sacred vessels ; next the invited 
ministers, followed by the elders and trustees of the congrega- 
tion; and last the deputies of the united congregations. In the 
church the ministers occupied the space within the chancel ; 
the church officers and deputies stood in a semi-circle about it. 
The Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg read the looth Psalm ; 
the pastor, Dr. Gerock, delivered "the declaration" — the pur- 
poses for which the Church was set apart ; and each pastor 
present, eight in all, quoted a passage of Scripture appropriate 
to church and king, to the building in itself and its sacred 
parts, as well as to parents and children — the congregation, the 
school, and the kinderlehre — the preliminaiy service closing 
with a prayer by Dr. Muhlenberg. Between these different 
parts a single stanza of the hymn " Komm Heiliger Geist " was 
sung. Dr. Muhlenberg preached the morning sermon ; Pastor 
Gerock the afternoon sermon, and Mr. Barton, the English 
missionary of the Episcopal Church, delivered a discourse in 
the evening. On Monday morning. May 5th, the Rev, Mr. 
Stoever preached ; in the afternoon the Rev. Mr. Krug. The 
entire musical program had been put into print, so that all 
could follow the choir in the services of both days. 

After the opening of the new church, Pastor Gerock faithfully 
continued his labors until the spring of the following year when 
he received a call from the German Lutheran congregation in 
the city of New York. On March 29, 1767, he preached his 
farewell sermon, having devoted fourteen years of pastoral 
labor among our people. 

From March, 1767, till April, 1769, Dr. Muhlenberg, the 



©ID c:rmlti3 



Rev. Emanuel Schultze and others ministered as frequently as 
possible to Trinity congregation. It was during this interim 
that Muhlenberg secured the adoption of the ' ' Formula of Gov- 
ernment ' ' by which the affairs of Trinity, temporal and spiritual, 
are conducted to this day. Meantime, earnest efforts were made 
to secure additional laborers from the Fatherland. As a result, 
in the spring of 1769, two men arrived, one of whom, the Rev. 
Just Henry Christian Helmuth, was sent to Lancaster, Rev. 
Helmuth preached his first sermon in Trinity Church the Fifth 
Sunday after Easter, and on the 17th of May the Church 
Council resolved to extend him a call to the vacant pastorate. 
At Whitsuntide, 1769, he moved to Lancaster, and at once 
entered upon his pastoral duties under auspices, the most favor- 
able that so far had come to the steadily increasing church. 

His first effort was to remove a church debt of 1000 pounds ; 
then to gather funds for a new organ — that magnificent instru- 
ment whose frame is one of the chief ornaments of Trinity 
Church, though somewhat enlarged, and which a British pris- 
oner at Lancaster, in 1778, immortahzes thus: " Largest pipe 
organ in America now in use at the Lutheran Church. Some 
of the officers went to see this wonderful piece of mechanism, 
and sent descriptions of it to their homes. Manufacturer had 
made every part of it with his own hands. It had not only 
every pipe and stop, but had some pipes of amazing circumfer- 
ence, and had keys to be played by the feet in addition to the 
regular keys. 

The labors of this man of God were simply marvellous. He 
preached forenoon and afternoon, every Sunday- — the latter 
service being followed by Kinderlehre, to which the children 
flocked by the hundreds. After Kinderlehre, at five o'clock, 



TReminiscences 



he invited the children to the school-house, where he read 
them short stories, extracts from good books, and the like; and 
then he preached his third sermon in the evening. There was 
also a service on Thursday evening, the rest of the pastor's 
time being devoted to the work of the school and the visitation 
of the sick. In addition to this, he preached every four or five 
weeks at Middletown, about twentv-five miles distant, revived 




Just Henry Christian Helmuth, D. D. 
1769-1779. 

the parish school there, and appointed the schoolmaster to read 
a chapter of Arndt's True Christianity every Sunday morning, 
and to catechize the children in the afternoon. No wonder his 
friends urged him not to preach so often, for fear he would 
ruin his health. In all his pastorate, Dr. Helmuth maintained 
a strict discipline, which subjected him to harsh criticism and, 
at times, bitter opposition. But he lived courageously through 
it all; and in 1773, though the church could comfortably seat 

12 



IRemlnlscences 



1 500 people, it had fifty seats less than were necessary for the 
membership. He continued to serve the congregation during 
the revolutionary period until May 25, 1779, when he was 
called to Philadelphia. 

It was during his pastorate in 1778 that his Excellency, 
Thomas Wharton, Jr., President of the Supreme Executive 




Thomas Wharton, Jr. 



Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, departed this 
life and was buried with military honors in Trinity Church, 
beneath the brick pavement in front of the old pulpit and altar. 

The Rev. Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg, son of the 
Patriarch Muhlenberg, was pastor in Philadelphia during the 
most troublous years of the Revolutionary War. In 1777, he 
was compelled to leave the city, the British ha\ing turned his 
church into a hospital. After serving a country charge for a 
few months, pursuant to a call, he visited Lancaster Jan. i, 

14 



1780, and took charge of Trinity Church on the 9th day of 
March. 

Dr. Muhlenberg was a profound scholar. He could speak 
Latin, was proficient in Greek and Hebrew, and could preach 
in five modern tongues. As a theologian, he ranked among 
the ablest in the Lutheran Church in America. He excelled 
in the natural sciences, especially in botany; and was early 
honored with the name of the American Linnaeus. Such was 




GotthilfiHenry Ernest Muhlenberg, D. D. 
1780-1815. 



his distinction as a scientist, that zA.lexander von Humboldt, on 
his visit to this country, sought the Doctor's acquaintance. It is 
no matter of surprise, therefore, to find that Dr. Muhlenberg, 
shortly after becoming pastor of Trinity, advocated an ad- 
vanced course of education — a movement which, in 1787, led 
to the establishment of Franklin College, of which he was the 
first president. 

15 



IReminiscences 

An event of special interest during his pastorate was the 
erection of the magnificent tower and steeple, which make 
Trinity one of the most imposing church buildings on this con- 
tinent. In the fall of 1785, the foundation of the new tower 




Trinity Steeple. 



was laid — its walls seven feet thick and, in places, seventeen 
feet deep. In 1786, the masonry was raised to its full height 
of eighty-six feet. In 1792, the woodwork was begun; but it 
was not finished till 1794. On the 5th of September of that 

16 



®ID ^rinits 



year, the wooden figures representing the four Evangelists 
were set up: St. Matthew at the N. East corner, St. Mark at 
the S. East, St. Luke at the S. West and St. John at the N. 
West — thus following the course of the sun from its rising to its 
setting. On the 30th of October, the ball, with a capacity of 
ninety-five gallons, was put into place, and on the 8th of De- 
cember the painting was finished. The height of the steeple 
is 195 feet. 

On the 14th of December, 1799, George Washington died. 




Thomas Mifflin. 



There was a solemn funeral procession through our streets, 
and on the following anniversary of his birth, there were suit- 
able addresses in all our churches, including Trinity. While 
the entire nation was thus mourning its great head, the State 
of Pennsylvania was called to lament the death of that dis- 
tinguished citizen, Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Penn- 
sylvania, and one of the three Quaker Generals of the Revo- 

17 



IReminiscences 



lutionary Army. He died in Lancaster, while serving as a 
member of the Legislature, this city then being the capital of 
the State. He was buried on the 2 2d of January, 1800, just 
outside the west wall of Trinity Church, beneath the humble 
tablet placed there, at a later date, to transmit his memory and 
mark his resting place. 

Dr. Muhlenberg continued to serve Trinity Church till the 
day of his death. May 23, 181 5. For many years he had been 
subject to distressing attacks which, at times, affected his memory 
and even deprived him of the power of speech. Sitting in his 
room with his son Augustus on that sad day, he suddenly re- 
marked that he felt one of those attacks coming upon him. He 
arose, and placing his hands upon the stove to steady himself, 
his heart went out in prayer, first for his congregation, then for 
his family, and last of all for himself. In the midst of his prayer 
for himself, he fell into the arms of his son and expired. Thus 
ended his long and successful pastorate of thirty-five years in 
Trinity. 

The next pastor was the Rev. Christian L. F. Endress, called 
to Trinity September 2, 181 5, from St. John's Church, Easton, 
Pa. He took formal charge the following month. In 1817 the 
old brick floor was removed and a substantial one of pine took 
its place. In 1818, the ladies of the Church raised a subscrip- 
tion and put it in the hands of the vestry for " defraying the 
expense of covering the pulpit and communion table with crimson 
silk-velvet. ' ' Among other chancel furnishings, they purchased 
a pair of candlesticks to be placed on the altar during evening 
service. The crimson covering gave mortal offence to many 
of the members. To their notion black was the only fit color 



©ID Crinitis 

for pulpit and altar. Excitement ran high ; the congregation 
was divided into two factions — the reds and anti-reds. So in- 
tense was the feeling that the antagonisms became personal : 
as a sad result there were only ten people at the Christmas 
communion, the anniversary of the advent of the Prince of Peace. 
But as time passed sober sense took the place of shallow sen- 
timent, the crimson coverings were accepted, and harmony 
was restored. 

For many years the language question had vexed the Church, 




Christian L. F. Endress, D. D. 
1815-1827. 



and on January i, 1825, a petition to the vestry called for 
definite action. The vestry properly referred the matter to a 
congregational meeting, which promptly voted that there should 
be no English preaching. Against this decision a strong pro- 
test was presented. This called for new action on the part ot 
the vestry, and after much heated debate, it was resolved that 

19 



IRemtniscences 



there be alternate German and English preaching. The 
quarrel over the language question was so bitter that it almost 
dismembered the congregation, the number of communicants 
at Michaelmas, 1825, being reduced to thirty-two. 

Some of the staunch Germans, justly surmising that their in- 
terests would suffer, resolved to withdraw from the congrega- 
tion and build a church in which only the German language 
should be used. And so on April 17, 1827, the corner-stone 
of Zion's Church was laid, the dedicatory service being held 
May II, 1828. This brought peace to the church, and thus was 
again illustrated the truth of Scripture, that the Lord causes 
even the wrath of man to praise Him. The strife was scarcely 
settled, when Dr. Endress died, September 30, 1827. Al- 
though he had only reached his fifty-second year, he had com- 
pleted thirty years in the active ministry, twelve of which were 
devoted to Trinity Church, during the most troublous time that 
can come to any congregation, the period of transition from the 
language of the fathers to that of their children. 

The Rev. John C. Baker was called as pastor November 21, 

1827. On his acceptance the vestry sent teams to German- 
town to bring his household effects to Lancaster by wagon. 
Four persons from each ward were appointed to accompany the 
new pastor on his first round of visitation and introduce him to 
the members of the Church. 

Dr. Baker preached his initial sermon in Trinity January 27, 

1828, and on February loth he organized a Sunday-school 
society. On Tuesday evening, February 12th, a constitution 
was adopted ; February 1 7th the Sunday-school was organized 
by the appointment of a corps of teachers, and on Sunday, 



March 9th, the Sunday-school was formally opened. The first 
Sunday's enrollment was 63 teachers and 413 pupils; the 
second Sunday's enrollment, 74 teachers and 470 pupils. 

Up to this time the source of the pastor's support had been a 
voluntary fund known as "minister-money." But in 1832, 
the vestry authorized the renting of family pews in the gallery 
— a system which was extended to the body of the church in 
1836. In 1834, additional ground was secured extending the 




John Christopher Baker, D. D. 
1828-1853. 



church property to Vine St., but which later passed into other 
hands. As the work of the Sunday-school progressed, it be- 
came apparent that larger quarters were needed. In 1833, 
the vestry had granted the Sunday-school society permission 
to erect a building at the southern end of the old stone school- 
house: in course of time a two-story brick edifice, containing 
two large rooms, stretched along Duke street toward Vine. 

21 



IReminlscenccs 

The Sunday-school Society had obhgated itself to raise the 
money for this new enterprise; but falling short of their mark, 
the congregation in 1842 assumed the unpaid balance. In 1849, 
part of the church property was sold, in order that its proceeds 
might be used in the purchase of a large outlying tract of land 
lor a cemetery; whereupon the cemetery committee purchased 
the plot of ground now known as ' ' Woodward Hill Cemetery. 




Old Stone School House: Old Sunday-School Building. 

In 1852, this passed out of the hands of the congregation into 
those of an independent company. 

On the 3d day of November, 185 1, a committee was ap- 
pointed looking to the entire remodeling of the church — a 
work so admirably carried out during the next pastorate. The 
young members of the congregation, looking hopefully into the 
future, petitioned the \ estry to permit them to establish a Sun- 

22 



©ID Q;rlnitB 



day-school in the northwestern part of the city. The school — 
now St. John's Lutheran Church — opened with twenty -two 
scholars. It soon became evident to those of progressive mind, 
that a new congregation should be organized; and while the 
suggestion was approved by a majority vote of the vestry, the 
pastor heartily concurring in it, the matter gave rise to so much 
unpleasantness that Dr. Baker was constrained to tender his 
unconditional resignation. On the 30th of January, 1853, he 
preached his farewell sermon, taking charge of St. Luke's 
Church, in the northern part of the city of Philadelphia. On 
the Tuesday evening following his final sermon he administered 
the communion to a small band of devoted friends in the upper 
room of the Sunday-school building, thus closing twenty-five 
years of faithful labor as pastor of Trinity. 

Several interesting changes were made during the pastorate 
of Dr. Baker. At his coming the railing around the minister's 
pew was removed, and curtains, cushions and carpet constituted 
the new furnishment. At the same time the little bells at- 
tached to the collection bags were taken off. In 1835 occurs 
the first mention of lamps ; which were procured for lighting the 
vestry-room for evening service; while in 1850 gas was intro- 
duced into the church and Sunday-school building. In 1836, 
the official pews of the minister, trustees, elders and wardens 
were abolished and rented to the highest bidder for family pews. 
In 1839, ^ clock took the place of the hour-glass, and in 1847 
the collection bags were supplanted by baskets. Thus by de- 
grees the old and effete gave way to the up-to-date and the 
new: and so it shall be from age to age 1 

On the 7th of March, 1853, the Rev. Gottlob F. Krotel, of 
Lebanon, was made the unanimous choice of the Vestry as 

23 



TRemfnisccnces 



pastor of Trinity. He preached his introductory sermon on 
the following Trinity Sunday. 

The old stone parsonage on Duke street was now sold, and 
a new parsonage, the present one, built next to the Sunday- 
school building, A part of the old stone school-house had to 
be torn down to furnish room for the pastor's home. The 
branch Sunday-school was still connected with the mother con- 




GottlOb F. Krotel, D. D., LL. D. 
1853-1861. 



gregation, but on June 6, 1853, it was transferred to the new 
St. John's Church. 

For several years there had been a growing sentiment that 
the church building should be modernized, and finally on July 
5, 1853, a special committee was appointed to take the matter 
into consideration, outhne plans, inquire into the probable cost, 
and report at the next meeting of the Vestry. An architect 
was engaged, the necessary changes were agreed upon, and in 

24 



©l& ^rlnlts 



a short time the work was under way. At the same time the 
old Sunday-school building received extensive repairs, the idea 
prevailing, however, that a new Sunday-school building was an 
approaching necessity. 

On the 5th of September, 1853, ground was broken for the 
enlargement of the vestibule on each side of the tower entrance, 
the old brick wall enclosing the church property was taken 
down, and the material was used for the vestibule extension. 
On Sunday evening, September i8th, the last service in the 
church, with its old-fashioned form, took place. Dr. Krotel 



M 



umj 



The Old Stone Parsonage. 

preaching from the text Gen. xxviii. 16-19, ^^^ ^^ the follow- 
ing morning the work of remodeling began. 

There was a tinge of sadness to that morning scene. 
Many of the members silently stood by, and as the old altar was 
removed, that altir at which they had been confirmed, and be- 
fore which they had knelt and received the Holy Supper — and 
the old pulpit was taken away, that pulpit from which Gerock, 
and Helmuth, and Muhlenberg, and Endress, and Baker, and 

25 



IRemlnlsccnces 



the great evangelist Whitfield, had preached — and the old pews 
were torn out, those pews in which they had sat from child- 
hood and listened to those great and godly men who spake to 
them the Word of Life : no wonder they turned away with 
tear-filled eyes. But the work of upbuilding quickened a new 
interest, and when it was completed the eyes that had grown 
dim with tears at the destruction of the old, now sparkled with 
delight at the beautiful effect produced by the new. On Sun- 
day, May 21, 1854, took place the re-consecration of Trinity, 
the pastor, Dr. Krotel, officiating. The Rev. P. F. Mayer, 
D. D., pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, 
preached the morning sermon, and the Rev. C. W. Schaeffer, 
D. D., of Germantown, preached in the evening. 

The impulse for improvement was in the air. In addition 
to building the parsonage, remodeling the church, and repair- 
ing the Sunday-school building, the steeple was painted, and 
■another story put on the sexton's house; an iron railing was 
substituted for the old brick wall about the church; a peal of 
eight bells was hung in the tower, and the organ was re- 
modeled at an outlay of ;^ 1,500. 00 — the original frame being 
kept intact. The organ and chimes were used for the first 
time on Sunday, May 28, 1854. The largest of the old bells 
was cast in England in 1 769 for Trinity Church, and is still 
hanging in the steeple. The smaller one — now the property 
of Grace Lutheran Church — was cast in England in 1745, for 
the monastic Prior of the Seventh Day Baptists near Ephrata. 
It seems that when this remarkable bell was landed in Phila- 
delphia, it was utterly rejected by the Ephrata brethren — 
doomed to be destroyed, broken to pieces and buried in the 
vcarth. But better counsel prevailed, and it was sold to the 

26 



1Rcminiscencc6 



Trinity congregation and placed in the steeple of the old stone 
church. Through French and Indian wars it rang; through 
the dark days of the Revolution it rang; for more than a cen- 
tury, in the old church and the new, it rang. It gave the 
alarm of fire, it summoned men to arms, it called the hosts to 




The Old Ephrata Beil. 
Cast 1745. 

worship, and now, like the great Liberty Bell, its tongue is 
silenced forever. 

At a meeting of the teachers of the Sunday-school, February 
II, 1855, it was decided to open a mission school in the 
northern part of the city. The outcome was ' ' The James 
Street Branch School." This work was begun February 25th, 
with an enrollment of thirty-three scholars and a sufficient 
number of teachers for thorough class arrangement. The 
work progressed rapidly, and in process of tmie Grace Luth- 
eran Church, on North Queen St., was the happy result. 

28 



©l& ilrinit^ 



On the 27th of May, 1855, a translation of the new hturgical 
morning service, prepared by the Ministerium of Pennsylva- 
nia, was brought into use; but as some of the members were 
opposed to a responsive service, its complete adoption was 
postponed till a different feehng should prevail on the subject. 
An event of more than passing interest occurred on April 4, 
1856, when the pastor organized his newly confirmed members 
into the "Junior Missionary Society " — an organization which 
has faithfully stood by every enterprise of the Church, espe- 
cially along the lines of Home and Foreign Missions, and 
which, to this day, has lost none of its early enthusiasm nor 
fallen short in useful service. 

About this time the question of Hymn-books, Liturgical ser- 
vice, and the like, agitated the Church. The Hymn-book in 
use at Trinity was that published by the Synod of New York: 
for the present it was retained. The Liturgical service pre- 
pared by the Ministerium of Pennsylvania was adopted by the 
vestry, November 13, i860, for the morning service; and on 
December 2d, the First Sunday in Advent, it came into reg- 
ular use. 

At the Vestry meeting, March 4, 1861, the committee on re- 
pairs reported that the large tenor bell was cracked, and 
therefore no longer fit for use. It was proposed to have it re- 
cast, but after negotiations with Naylor and Bros., of Philadel- 
phia, who at that time had a chime of eight bells in New York, 
in key of F, weighing 7,705 pounds and cast in Sheffield, Eng- 
land, an exchange was made, the old bells were taken down 
and the new ones were hung in their place. 

On the 20th of November, 1861, Dr. Krotel presented his 
resignation as pastor of Trinity Church, to accept a call to St. 

29 



IRemintscences 



Mark's Church, Philadelphia, as the successor of the Rev. 
Charles Porterfield Krauth, D. D. His pastoral labors in 
Trinity closed with the end of the year. From every point of 
view — spiritual development, churchly life, material advance- 
ment, his pastorate was a remarkable one. 

On invitation the Rev. F. W. Conrad, of Dayton, Ohio, 
visited Lancaster and occupied the pulpit of Trinity, January 
5, 1862. A call was extended to him January 1 5th and accepted 




Frederick W. Conrad, D. D. 

1861-1864. 



■on the 24th. The third Sunday in March Dr. Conrad entered 
upon the duties of his office. 

These were the dark days of the Civil War — sad days in 
Church and State. As a rule, the vestry meetings were brief 
and without interesting incident. At one time more than three 
months intervened between sessions. There were no great 
plans for church development, for the terrible crisis rested like 



©ID G:dnlti5 



a pall upon our people. There was, it is true, the stated 
preaching of the Word, together with the regular routine of 
congregational business, but no reaching out, no aggressive 
action : the times were out of joint. 

The liturgical service introduced by the former pastor was 
radically modified by the new incumbent. The General Synod 
convened in Trinity Church, May, 1862. Dr. Conrad resigned 
February i, 1864, to follow a call to Chambersburg, Pa., and 




Samuel Laird, D. D. 
1864-1867. 

although a committee of the vestry waited upon him and asked 
him to reconsider his action, his decision was declared to be 
final, and his resignation went into effect on the ist day of 
April. By special request he preached the first Sunday in 
April, and as his last official act he installed the newly-elected 
officers. 

The Rev, Samuel Laird, of Philadelphia, was called to the 

31 



1Remini6cencc0 



vacant pastorate June 30, 1864. He forwarded his letter of 
acceptance July 8th, and began his pastoral labors on the ist 
of September. Dr. Laird's first official act was to restore the 
Liturgy of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania to its place in the 
regular church service, a pulpit edition of which was provided 
by the vestry. A committee of ten vestrymen accompanied 
him on his initial round of visitation and introduced him to the 
members of the congregation in their respective homes. On 
November 14th, the choir master asked for an appropriation of 
^75.00 for the salaries of bass singers. In lieu of paying the 
singers, the choir master was voted a salary of $75.00 a year. 

At a vestry meeting held Saturday afternoon, April 15, 
1865, the following was adopted: 

"Resolved, That the Committee on Supplies have the 
church draped in mourning for thirty days, as a mark of sor- 
row and respect for the late President of the United States, 
Abraham Lincoln." 

At the regular April meeting of the vestry, an increase of 25 
per cent, was added to the pew rents to meet current demands 
upon the treasury. About this time, the corporate name 
"Ministers, Trustees, Elders and Church Wardens of the 
German Lutheran Congregation in and near the Borough of 
Lancaster, in the State of Pennsylvania, ' ' was changed_^by act 
of Legislature to ' ' The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the 
Holy Trinity of Lancaster, Pennsylvania." By action of the 
vestry, the life of the pastor was insured for $5,000 — the pre- 
mium to be paid out of the church treasury. 

Sunday June 10, 1866, the Ministerium of Pennsylvania met 
in Trinity Church to take part in her centenary celebration. 
The Church was beautifully decorated with evergreens and 

32 



©ID trrinlti2 

flowers. On the right and left of the pulpit were placed the 
names of the pastors, from Stoever to Laird; while over it were 
the words in evergreen : 

" 1766. Evangelical Lutheran Church of the 
Holy Trinity. 1866." 

At nine o'clock in the morning the chimes were played, and 
from 9:45 till 10:00 the large bell was rung. At 10:30 the pro- 
cession formed in the school-house and marched to the church 
in the following order : The officiating clergymen, the mem- 
bers of the vestry, the ministers of the Synod, and the lay del- 
egates. The service opened with the hymn, "Come Holy 
Spirit, God and Lord. ' ' Dr. Laird, the pastor, conducted the 
hturgical service; the Rev. A. T. Geissenhainer, Treasurer of 
Synod, read the Scripture lessons, and the Rev. J. Kohler, 
Enghsh Secretary, offered up prayer. After the singing of the 
hymn, "All Praise and Thanks to God Most High," the Rev. 
C. W. Schaeffer, D. D., President of Synod, preached the 
sermon from the text, St. Luke xiv. 16-24, "The Parable of 
the Great Supper," The service closed with the Lord's Prayer 
and the hymn, ' ' A Mighty Fortress, ' ' after which the congre- 
gation retired, and the Synod remained to partake of the Holy 
Communion. 

In the afternoon the children of the Sunday-school were 
gathered in the church, and a service appropriate to the occa- 
sion was held. They were addressed by Rev. Prof. F. A. 
Muhlenberg, D. D., Rev. J. B. Rath, and the Rev. W. A. 
Passavant, D. D. Dr. Krotel was seated in the chancel and 
assisted the pastor in the service. 

The evening service was devoted particularly to the centenary 
celebration. The liturgical part was conducted by the Rev. J. 

33 



IReminlscences 



A. Seiss, D. D., and the Rev. Prof. Muhlenberg, D. D. The 
centenary sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. G. F. Krotel 
from Deut. xxxii. 7 : " Remember the days of old ; consider 
the years of many generations ; ask thy father and he will 
show thee, thy elders and they will tell thee." The divisions 
of the discourse are significant : 

1. Hold fast the Faith of the Church. 

2. Hold fast the Life of the Church. 

3. Hold fast the True Unity of the Church. 

The closing exercises were conducted by the Rev. Dr. Seiss. 
A beautiful feature of this service was that it was modeled 
after the one held on the occasion of the dedication, one hun- 
dred years before. It was, indeed, one of the most notable 
events in the history of the congregation. 

The pastor, having received a call to the First Lutheran 
Church of Pittsburg, was constrained by the pecuHar condition 
of church affairs in that city to accept it. A series of resolu- 
tions were adopted by the vestry, stating why the pastoral 
relations should not be severed; but on March 4, 1867, Dr. 
Laird urged the acceptance of his resignation and he preached 
his final sermon, as pastor, the last Sunday in April. 

For several years the eyes of Trinity had been upon the 
Rev. E. Greenwald; but conditions at Easton, where he was 
pastor of Christ Church, made that his peculiar post of duty, 
and he bravely stood by it. But now, upon the resignation of 
Dr. Laird, a unanimous call was extended to him, with the 
significant proviso, that he connect himself with the old mother 
Synod of Pennsylvania. The call was issued March 18, 1867, 
and on May 25th Dr. Greenwald was installed by the Rev. 
G. F. Krotel, D. D., assisted by Dr. C. W. Schaeffer. 

34 



®ID ^rinit^ 



The St. Andrew's Society, made up of the young men of the 
Bible class, laid before the ^■estry a proposition to found a mis- 
sion in the southwestern part of the city. The plan being 
approved, the Manor Street Mission, now Christ Lutheran 
Church, was formally opened September 29, 1867. A lot was 
purchased, and June 21st of the following year the corner-stone 
of the chapel was laid. A Sunday-school Committee was ap- 



ttV I Hm ^ 

M 1 JIKli ' 



Emanuel Green wald, D. D. 
1867-1885. 



pointed by the vestry to visit the branch schools once a month, 
and report state and progress and needs at its monthly meetings. 
The Jubilee of the Reformation, the 350th anniversary of the 
naihng of the ninety-five Theses to the church door at Witten- 
berg, was celebrated in due form October 31, 1867. The 
pastor. Dr. Greenwald, preached each Sunday in October on 
the history, doctrine and mission of the Lutheran Church. On 
the 27th of October, a mass meeting of the Sunday-schools of 

35 



1Remlnt6ccnces 



Trinity, James Street Mission and Manor Street Mission was 
held in Trinity Church — nearly 800 scholars taking part in the 
interesting exercises. The pastor addressed them on the early 
life of Luther, and a special offering for college and seminary 
was made, amounting to ^244.02. On Thursday the 31st was 
the closing service. The church was becomingly decorated, 
the address of Dr. Greenwald, strong, inspiring, convincing, 
was in thorough rapport with the greatness of the occasion, 
while the offering of the congregation for the educational work 
of the Synod reached the magnificent sum of $1,670. 

August 29, 1869, was adopted a series of resolutions, inaug- 
urating the present system of voluntary contributions known as 
"systematic beneficence" — a fund to be devoted exclusively 
to ' • the various benevolent causes claiming our sympathy and 
support. ' ' At this point of events, assistant pastors were called 
from time to time to look particularly after the mission inter- 
ests of the congregation — the Rev. Charles S. Albert, the Rev, 
D. H. Geissinger, the Rev. J. W. Rumple, the Rev. C. E. 
Haupt, and the Rev. Charles L. Fry whose labors, however, 
were limited to the bounds of Trinity Church. December i, 
1873, the Sunday-school Committee reported an East Orange 
Street Mission, with an enrollment of 72 scholars and 10 teach- 
ers. After a checkered career of a few years the mission was 
abandoned, but a promising enterprise was afterward taken up, 
which speedily developed into the Church of the Advent. 

Under date of August 3, 1874, the Ways and Means Com- 
mittee had under consideration the practicability of a parochial 
school in connection with Trinity Church, and the vestry 
heartily approved the movement. During the summer im- 
portant repairs and improvements were made in the church, 

36 



©ID ^rinits 



involving an expenditure of $5,100. Meantime, the congre- 
gation worshipped in Zion's Lutheran Church, while the In- 
fant School, whose sessions had been held in the gallery, met 
each Sunday in the Court House. 

On March 8, 1875, it was 

"Resolved, That the vestry, reahzing the importance of hav- 
ing a more suitable building for the use of the Sunday-schools 





i t« 


^f J^f Mt 




! is _ij„ j.-i p.. 


)^^^ 


p ■ |iii|g^^^gp|ips^.f||g^g|||||||j||||gg|. 





Tiinity Ciiapel. 

and for a lecture-room, will proceed to the erection of such a 
building as soon as the funds necessary for its erection are 
secured." 

A year elapsed, when a series cf rescluticns were passed 
looking to the erection of a building for Sunday-school, lecture 
and parochial school purposes; and the matter was placed 
before the congregation the first Sunday in April. On April 

37 • 



IReminiscenccs 



24, 1876, Dr. Greenwald recommended the appointment of 
Deaconesses, the organization of a beneficial society, and the 
estabhshment of a Widows' Home. At the next regular meet- 
ing of the vestry, the Board of Deaconesses was appointed, at 
the same time rules being adopted for their government. 

On May 15, 1876, the amount of i^ 10,000 ha\'ing been sub- 
scribed, a building committee was appointed, plans were 
adopted, and the work on the new chapel was at once begun. 
The corner-stone was laid August 13th with appropriate ser- 
vices. Dr. (^ireenwald officiating. The name given to the new 
building was ' ' The Chapel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church 
of the Holy Trinity." The old school property was sold, the 
new building having been completed the following spring. 
Already in August, 1877, it was proposed to establish a kin- 
dergarten; an institution which has not yet become firmly 
rooted in our system of education. So far was the venerable 
Dr. Greenwald in advance of his time. 

The fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Greenwald' s induction into 
the office of the holy ministry was observed with an appropriate 
pubhc service. Dr. Seiss preached the sermon, and the choirs 
of Trinity, Grace and Christ Church made the event memor- 
able by a grand chorus of church song. A series of resolu- 
tions, expressive of the appreciation of Dr. Greenwald' s emi- 
nent services to the Church, was adopted by the vestry, a copy 
of which was handsomely engrossed and framed, and presented 
to the pastor. November 10, 1883, the Luther festival was 
held, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the great Re- 
former's birth. A notable program was prepared, the musical 
part being particularly elaborate. The morning sermon was 
preached by the venerable pastor; his assistant, the Rev. Charles 

38 



©ID ^riniti3 



L, Fry, occupied the pulpit in the evening. On the Saturday 
before the celebration, the chimes were played at six, nine and 
twelve in the morning and at three and six in the afternoon. 

Among the gifts which from to time have come to Trinity 
was a small bequest, significant for its sacred intent, ' ' The 
Ann Jane Thompson Fund," an endowment of S200 to keep 
the pastor supplied with ministerial vestments. 

To all who had known Dr. Greenwald in the days of manly 
vigor it was evident that the time of his departure was at hand. 
With the apostle he had fought a good fight, he had finished 
his course, he had kept the faith. And so when Trinity bell 
solemnly tolled on the morning of December 21, 1885, the sad 
message floated out o\er the city in language plainer than 
words, " Dr. Greenwald is dead !" 

Dr. Greenwald was distinguished by rare constitutional 
excellencies and traits of character, as well as by more than 
ordinary pulpit abihty and pastoral efficiency. He was an in- 
structive preacher, a popular author, and a model pastor. In 
his intercourse with his parishioners he was considerate and 
sympathetic, tender and affectionate — a true spiritual father, an 
unfaihng friend. In short, he was a good man — one who re- 
joiced in every good thing — one who lived in a devotional 
spirit at all times. And so, like Enoch of old, he walked with 
(lod and was not, for God took him. 

On January 4, 1886, the assistant pastor, the Rev. Charles 
L. Fry, was chosen as Dr. Greenwald' s successor. He was 
duly inducted into office on February 14th, the Rev. Dr. Jacob 
Fry, of Reading, preaching the installation sermon. 

The Theological Seminary in Philadelphia at this time was 
enlisting the best energies of the Synod, and Trinity Church, 

39 



TReminiscencce 



with characteristic promptness, responded with an offering of 
nearly two thousand dollars. On December 6, 1886, plans 
were submitted to the ^'estry for a new organ. The contract 
was entered into early the following spring, and on September 
I ith the new organ was dedicated. The original frame was once 
more wisely retained, the central part of which dates back to 
1 77 1. In the early part of 1887 the General Council's Church 




Rev. Charles L. Fry. 
1881-1901. 

Book with Music was formally adopted and directed to be 
used in the church service during all seasons of the year. 

" Muhlenberg Day," commemorative of the hfe and labors 
of the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America, was cele- 
brated with an appropriate ser\ice at Trinity Church October 
9, 1887, the Sunday-schools of Grace and Christ Churches par- 
ticipating with that of Trinity in the exercises. On November 
7th a member of the Church, who desired his name to. be 

40 



©ID ^rinft^ 



unknown, on looking about for an object of special beneficence, 
discovered that the Sunday-school badly needed an organ: he 
generously presented one for the use of the school at its services. 
A small tablet graces the side of the church, a memorial to 
Thomas Wharton, Jr. It is inscribed as follows : 

In Memoriam 

Thomas Wharton, Jr., 

First President of the Supreme Executive 

Council of Pennsylvania. 

Under the Constitution of 1776 

and Commander-in-Chief of her forces. 

Inaugurated March 5th, 1777. 

Died in office greatly lamented, May 23rd, 1778. 

At the request of the Vestry, his remains were buried within 

this Church East of the Tablet erected by the present Vestry, 

July 4, 1887. 

The work of the Church moved on in a quiet, methodical 
way till the beginning of 1893, when a committee, appointed to 
look into the matter of church improvement, reported the 
necessity of a thorough refitting and refurnishing at an esti- 
mated cost of Si 0,000. Special committees were soon at work 
along financial and decorative lines. The pulpit and chancel 
were furnished anew; the floors were carpeted and the walls 
frescoed; uniform windows of stained glass were put into place; 
its wood-work was painted — cream-white trimmed with gold; 
a magnificent painting of the Resurrection — an historic com- 
posite — was spread upon the wall back of the pulpit; a steam 
plant for heating purposes was inaugurated; the floor of the 
vestibule was covered with linoleum, in short, there was a 
thorough going through the whole building — every nook and 
corner, the happy, harmonious effect of which we enjoy to this 

41 



IReminlscenccB 



day. From time to tim.e special gifts, and the most of them 
precious memorials, added to the chancel adornment: an altar 
of onyx and alabaster, with brass furnishings; an onyx and 
brass lectern ; an onyx and brass baptismal font; massive 
chancel chairs; brass cross and alms plates and vases, while a 
handsome pew chart was placed on the tower-wall of the vesti- 
bule. The re-opening service was held September 24, 1893, 
Drs. Laird and Fry assisting the pastor in the interesting exer- 
cises. Meantime the congregation was not unmindful of its 
duty to the Church at large, a sum of money being appro- 
priated for furnishing a room at our Theological Seminary in 
Chicago, and the regular apportionments for synodical purposes 
being fully met. 

A letter from the Rev. Dr. Kohler, President of Conference, 
under date of January 4, 1896, urged upon the vestry the im- 
portance of establishing a mission in the eastern part of the 
city. Following close upon it was a petition from the teachers 
of Trinity Sunday-school appealing to the vestry to take up this 
new mission interest. The outcome was the organization of 
the Orange Street Mission, which in a comparatively short time 
developed into the Church of the Advent. About the same 
time the Working Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Sunday- 
school of Emanuel, chartered April 17, 1889, applied to Trinity 
for aid. An occasional letter with a remittance from the church 
treasury encouraged the congregation, which has developed, 
under the name of Emanuel Church, into one of the most 
active and aggressive congregations in the city. 

The 1 50th anniversary of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania 
called for special observance. A movement was started look- 
ing to the gathering of a large fund which should place the 

42 



©ID Crlnit^ 



Synod with its college and seminary out of debt. Rev. Fry 
took hold of the enterprise with characteristic energy and zeal, 
and with contributions from the church treasury and special 
offerings from the people, supplemented by the generous gift 
of #1,000 from one of the ladies of the church, Trinity rounded 
out about $T,,ooo toward this great sy nodical enterprise. 

A new pipe organ was presented to the congregation by 
Mr. Bernard Mudler, of Philadelphia, for the use of the Sun- 




Sexton's House : Parsonage. 

day-school — a gift highly appreciated by those engaged in 
Sunday-school work. On September 3, 1900, was reported a 
bequest from one of the members, the provision of whose will 
reads as follows: " I give and bequeath the sum of $1,000 to 
Trinity Lutheran Church of Lancaster, the income of which is 
to be paid annually to the pastor of the Church." This goes 
under the well-known name of " The John Keller Bequest." 
After more than nineteen years of continuous service, the 

43 



1Reminiscencc6 



Rev. Fry resigned the pastorate of Trinity to take charge of 
St. Luke's Church, Philadelphia, his resignation to take effect 
with the close of the year. His last official act was the admin- 
istration of the Lord's Supper, in which nearly every member 
of the church participated. The vestry adopted resolutions 
expressive of good-will and best wishes; while the Sunday- 
school was loth to part with one who had introduced the new 
graded system, and under whose pastoral care the vast majority 
of its members had thus far been reared. 

The present pastor, Rev. J. E. Whitteker, was extended a 
unanimous call on the 27th day of December, 1900, and en- 
tered upon his pastoral labors February i, 1901. During his 
ministry, the sexton's house was built; a beautiful memorial 
window, "The Transfiguration," was placed where, half a 
century ago, was the main entrance; and the Rev. F. W. Wack- 
ernagel was sent to the mission field in India, as " The Repre- 
sentative of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pa." 

February 15, 1905, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the 
organization of Trinity Sunday-school was observed with ap- 
propriate services. The morning sermon was preached by the 
Rev. Dr. G. F. Krotel ; the city pastors participated in the 
afternoon exercises, and the Rev. Samuel Laird, D. D., and 
the Rev. Charles L. Fry were the speakers of the evening. 

It can still be said of Trinity as the poet says of the sea: 

" Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow :" 

for Trinity, like the eagle, continually renews her youth; and 
with the prestige of years back of her, with a noble spirit 
within her, with glorious possibilities before her, she should 
move forward, conquering and to conquer, until the Church 
Militant merges into the Church Triumphant. 

44 



